When it comes to Lu Zhou, starting from his debut, one could talk endlessly about this versatile and top-notch male idol. He has been sweeping through all media channels, including Tianya, Weibo, NetEase, in recent years. Ever since he debuted at the age of 25 and achieved a massive box office hit, Lu Zhou immediately gained the favour of millions of young girls.

There were few flops in the TV dramas Lu Zhou has appeared in. Even in a market flooded with mediocre dramas, he managed to turn the tide, rescuing a TV station on the brink of collapse with a 2.3% viewership rating, much like "Infernal Affairs," injecting a powerful boost into mainland Chinese TV dramas.

His sweet relationship with his girlfriend Zhang Xinran was considered a model of success in both career and love. This was why many people are full of envy, jealousy, and hatred for Lu Zhou's remarkable achievements at such a young age. They often launched various personal attacks on him online, implying that he entered the industry through hidden rules and later relied on his relationship with Zhang Xinran to land many good roles as the male lead.

Of course, the phrase "eating soft rice" was absolutely off-limits, along with related terms like "soft," or anything that implied a man relying on a woman to succeed, including but not limited to "thigh-hugging," "sponsorship," "hidden rules," and all other synonyms or related terms. Other sensitive content, such as explicit references to intimate relationships, should also be avoided.

"Understood," Xiao Yi nodded earnestly.

 Manager Lin gripped the steering wheel while providing Xiao Yi with some training, and said, "Lu Zhou is very concerned about personal hygiene, and in his presence, you must not contradict anything he says, especially avoid trying to teach him anything, understand?"

"I get it," Xiao Yi said.

"Do you often get scolded by your girlfriend..."  Manager Lin glanced at Xiao Yi.

"I've been scolded quite a bit," Xiao Yi said helplessly. "It's okay, I won't resist."

 Manager Lin patted his shoulder and said, "You can handle this job; I have faith in you."

Xiao Yi asked, "Has Lu Zhou driven away many assistants?"

 Manager Lin looked at Xiao Yi with regret in his eyes. Xiao Yi had initially thought about getting Lu Zhou's autograph or, if his girlfriend found out he was working as Lu Zhou's assistant, they might have a chance to reconcile. But now, it seemed unlikely. He'd have to wait for another opportunity to get an autograph.

 Manager Lin stopped the car in front of a villa, a heavily guarded residential area. He said, "I'll have the property management issue your access card later. For now, let's go to Lu Zhou's place."

"He has opinions on every artist," Manager Lin rolled down the car window, drove into the compound, and added, "You better not show any favouritism towards any artist, especially don't praise their competitors. Don't show that you have a favourite star, even if the star is his friend, you understand?"

"I understand," Xiao Yi said.

 Manager Lin parked the car in the garage in front of a large villa. "Someone will come to clean every day. You don't have to worry about that."

Xiao Yi's shoes were covered in dust. He carefully took them off and stood on the wooden floor.  Manager Lin continued, "Lu Zhou will give you tasks, and you should do them promptly. Don't be overly attentive when he doesn't need you. Just make sure you arrive promptly when he calls you."

"Okay," Xiao Yi replied.

 Manager Lin emphasized, "If you don't arrive promptly, don't make excuses like you didn't hear. Pretend to be pitiful and just say you fell on the floor, and he won't blame you."

Xiao Yi nodded.

Lu Zhou's house had three floors. The first floor had the living room, kitchen, dining room, and a spacious garden. The second floor had a row of rooms, and the third floor also had a series of rooms.

In addition, there was a large basement.

On the dining table was an unfinished puzzle map.  Manager Lin seemed a bit worried if Xiao Yi could handle this challenging job. Xiao Yi, however, seemed determined. He said, "I'll do my best."

"Don't be nervous,"  Manager Lin added. "Du Mei will introduce you to Lu Zhou tonight. I'll take you shopping for clothes, and the company will reimburse you."

Xiao Yi breathed a sigh of relief. He had taken a shower that day, changed his clothes, and he was fairly tall, standing at 178 cm, just slightly shorter than Lu Zhou, but not by much. He was handsome, which was good for an assistant, but not as handsome as Lu Zhou, so he wouldn't steal the spotlight.

Overall, Xiao Yi looked in the mirror and realized why Du Mei had chosen him for this job, both in terms of looks and personality. Now, he was confident to face any scolding and take the first step into his new life.

.

That evening, Du Mei arranged a meeting between Xiao Yi and Lu Zhou at Wanjing Wutong (NT: Wanjing is a sub-district in Beijing). Xiao Yi was nervous to the point where he had to use the restroom frequently.

Du Mei absentmindedly scrolled through her phone and said, "Don't be afraid. Lu Zhou is a person who speaks harshly but has a soft heart. He's very nice, and as long as you understand his temperament, he's actually easy to get along with. Everyone really likes him."

Xiao Yi didn't mention the time he had seen the male god in the restroom and been frightened to the point of wetting his pants. He just nodded, thinking, Who is she kidding? Lu Zhou must have driven away assistant after assistant, firing so many people, and now, there are no assistants left, so it's my turn.

Lu Zhou arrived, and Xiao Yi immediately sat up straight. When he tried to get up, Du Mei held him back and said to Lu Zhou, "Why are you late again? How many times have I told you?"

"There was traffic on the road—I didn't want it either," Lu Zhou sat down angrily, took off his sunglasses, and said, "I thought you were at the office... who's this?"

Xiao Yi and Lu Zhou suddenly locked eyes.

Despite his earlier thoughts, Xiao Yi never could have imagined that in just one day, his life would take such a dramatic turn. One moment, he was on the verge of financial ruin in a rental apartment, and the next, he was sitting across from the male idol who was adored by countless young boys, girls, and even middle-aged men and women.

Xiao Yi looked at Lu Zhou, and he had to admit that he was indeed very handsome, and his real appearance was not much different from what was seen in TV dramas. He had a cool and flavourful presence.

"Hello," Xiao Yi gathered his courage and said, "Mr. Lu, I am your new life assistant, sent by the company."

Du Mei said, "This is Xiao Yi, this is Lu Zhou. Have you two met before? Recognize each other?"

Lu Zhou remained silent, and he made a vague nasal sound as he casually picked up the menu. Xiao Yi immediately got up to call the waiter. However, Du Mei interjected, "We've already ordered. Xiao Yi, just call him 'Zhou-ge' (NT: Brother Zhou)."

"Did you order the goose liver pate?" Lu Zhou asked.

"Yes, we did," Du Mei replied. "Today, Director Wang called me, and Yongyu  company recommended you. He came to ask about a project in Anhui next year, a historical drama funded by the provincial government, about Sun Quan, with 40 episodes." (NT: Sun Quan also known as Emperor Da of WU, founder of the Eastern Wu Dynasty)

"What the heck," Lu Zhou commented, "I'm not interested. They scrutinize historical dramas so much, and now they want to make a costume drama? What happened to the slice-of-life drama we talked about?"

"I recommended the slice-of-life drama to you," Du Mei mentioned casually.

Lu Zhou glanced at Du Mei, and just then, the food was served. The three of them stopped talking about work, and Lu Zhou reclined with one leg crossed over the other, swaying slightly, resting one hand on the back of the chair, and he looked at Xiao Yi.

"Xiao Yi used to work in music composition," Du Mei mentioned. "The company assigned him to assist you and learn from you."

Xiao Yi smiled.

"Music," Lu Zhou mumbled, his lips twitching. He didn't say much. He ate some food casually and then announced, "I'm going back home to sleep."

Xiao Yi glanced at Du Mei, and she nodded, indicating that this was their cue to leave. As Lu Zhou got up, Xiao Yi handed him his coat. Lu Zhou put on his sunglasses, walked ahead, and Xiao Yi followed, refraining from speaking.

Xiao Yi knew that wealthy people often disliked talking to their assistants. They preferred to treat them as if they were invisible.

Previously, he often mocked the henchmen of wealthy youngsters. Little did he know, in the blink of an eye, time had passed, countless people had risen to success and prosperity, while he, instead of achieving success, was fated to become a rich man's servant. It was a stark reminder of how unjust the world could be.

Lu Zhou completely ignored Xiao Yi, standing in front of the car, regarding him as if he were invisible. Xiao Yi quickly snapped out of it and rushed to open the car door for the idol. Lu Zhou then moved to the side to enter.

"Next time, don't make the same mistake," Lu Zhou pointed his finger straight at Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi didn't dare to speak, only nodding in response, feeling a bit intimidated deep down.

During the ride back, silence enveloped them. The driver chauffeured both Lu Zhou and Xiao Yi to the idol's home. As Xiao Yi got out of the car, he thanked the driver, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."

The driver responded with sympathetic eyes, saying, "Young man, you're doing a great job."

Xiao Yi looked bewildered, realizing that Lu Zhou's character was quite well-known within the company.

Lu Zhou arrived home, and Xiao Yi immediately turned on all the lights. As soon as Lu Zhou got home, he put on his headphones and started to mutter to himself while pacing in the living room. Xiao Yi wasn't sure what he was saying, but he appeared to be sleepwalking.

Xiao Yi inquired, "Would you like to take a bath now? I can prepare the hot water for you."

Lu Zhou, however, remained entirely unresponsive to Xiao Yi's question.

After a moment's contemplation, Xiao Yi made the decision to enter the bathroom and began filling the bathtub with hot water. A moment later, he saw Lu Zhou walking around the living room, muttering to himself, as if in a daze, and then he walked into the bathroom.

"Hey!" Lu Zhou suddenly shouted from the bathroom.

Xiao Yi quickly took his clothes and went into the bathroom.

"Why is the water so hot? Are you trying to scald me?" Lu Zhou angrily demanded.

Xiao Yi replied, "I'm sorry..."

Xiao Yi had been startled multiple times on his first day on the job, and now, he had to go into the bathroom to mix cold water for Lu Zhou. But Lu Zhou waved his hand dismissively, saying, "It's not necessary."

Xiao Yi: "..."

Xiao Yi tried to make sense of Lu Zhou's unexpected requests. Was Lu Zhou about to demolish the house because of the hot water? Soon, Lu Zhou had finished bathing and put on a bathrobe, leaving Xiao Yi waiting with bated breath.

Xiao Yi asked, "Are you going to sleep?"

Lu Zhou: "Mm."

Xiao Yi was ready to breathe a sigh of relief, but just as he was about to enjoy a relaxing moment, he heard Lu Zhou call out, "Hey!"

Xiao Yi: "..."

Xiao Yi quickly put on his clothes and went upstairs to find Lu Zhou in a bathrobe, lying on the bed.

Lu Zhou scrutinized Xiao Yi without recognizing him. "I've called you several times, didn't you hear me?"

 

In the frosted glass, Lu Zhou's tall, well-proportioned figure was reflected, with long legs and long arms. After putting down his clothes, Xiao Yi sensibly withdrew.

Xiao Yi checked the schedule for the second day given to him by Assistant Manager Lin. He heard Lu Zhou singing in the bathroom. After waiting for Lu Zhou to finish his shower and go upstairs in slippers, Xiao Yi sighed with relief, thinking he could finally rest. Just as he was about to enjoy Lu Zhou's massage bathtub, he took off his clothes and rubbed his eyes in front of the mirror. But then he heard Lu Zhou calling from the second floor, "Hey!"

Xiao Yi: ...

Xiao Yi quickly put his clothes back on and rushed upstairs, only to find Lu Zhou lying on the bed in a bathrobe.

Without looking at Xiao Yi, Lu Zhou said, "I called you several times, didn't you hear me?"

Xiao Yi replied, "I'm sorry, I bumped into the stairs when I just came up."

"Forget it," said Lu Zhou.

The reminder from Manager Lin seemed to be very effective. Lu Zhou didn't even bother to move, and he asked, "Where's the water?"

Xiao Yi went downstairs to get a glass of water for Lu Zhou and then came back up. However, Lu Zhou complained, "Why is there no ice cubes?"

So, Xiao Yi rushed downstairs again to get some ice cubes, nearly wanting to drop the glass. He couldn't help but think, "I'm only getting 8,000 for this job? Is it before taxes? Construction workers make at least 20,000 nowadays!"

But for the sake of his contract’s signature and his girlfriend, he decided to endure.

Xiao Yi put on a smile, even though he was exhausted. He said, "I'm sorry, Brother Zhou. It's my first time here, and I didn't know about your habits. I'll remember for next time."

"Umm," Lu Zhou casually responded. "In the future, remember to prepare a cold drink after I take a bath."

Xiao Yi stood there waiting for Lu Zhou's next instructions, hoping that Lu Zhou wouldn't come up with any more sudden ideas, so he could finally leave. However, Lu Zhou pointed to the iPad on the bedside table.

"Check what people are saying in the comments on my Weibo," Lu Zhou uttered.

Xiao Yi: ...

It turned out that even big celebrities read the comments on their Weibo posts. Xiao Yi gained a whole new understanding of Lu Zhou. He opened Lu Zhou's iPad, logged into Weibo, and saw over 3,000 retweets and 7,000 comments on a photo of Lu Zhou, his girlfriend, and their dog.

The dog was a Chihuahua belonging to Lu Zhou's girlfriend, Zhang Xiran.

The comments were a mix of admiration and flattery:

"Worship... You're so handsome, Male God... I'm kneeling..."

"Any hairstyle looks good on Male God..."

"Male God for ten thousand years..."

"Is the person next to you a friend or what?..."

"Male God, the way to conquer..."

"???"

Xiao Yi hesitated as he read the comments one by one, "Following your..."

Then he realized something wasn't right and changed his statement, "You're so handsome..."

Lu Zhou sensed Xiao Yi's hesitation and asked, "What's wrong? Let me see."

Suddenly, Xiao Yi had a bad feeling. Was the male god about to throw him out of the house for that comment? The comments read:

@XiaoMeizi: Her appearance seems so unfamiliar, resembling her Chihuahua, did the couple both undergo plastic surgery? There doesn't seem to be anything natural left on their bodies, hehe.

However, Lu Zhou miraculously managed to control his emotions. He grabbed the iPad, took a deep breath, and handed it back to Xiao Yi, nearly missing him. As Xiao Yi picked it up and was about to continue reading the flattering comments to soothe Lu Zhou's mood, Lu Zhou said, "Block that negative commenter."

Xiao Yi replied with agreement and immediately blocked the negative commenter. Then, Lu Zhou said, "Log in with another iPad, create a fake account, and check that person's Weibo. Give them a piece of your mind."

Xiao Yi: ...

Did they really have to do this? Xiao Yi was already feeling overwhelmed by the male god's demands. He reluctantly criticized the person, saying things like, "How can you say that?" "Lu Zhou hasn't had any plastic surgery." "What you said is unfair." Inside, he was filled with various forms of exasperation.

Lu Zhou then opened the person's Weibo on his own iPad and seemed somewhat unsatisfied with what he saw, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Go on Taobao," Lu Zhou said. (NT: on line shopping platform)

Xiao Yi: ...

Xiao Yi opened the Taobao app, wondering what they were looking for. Lu Zhou then told him, "Look at the homepage!"

Xiao Yi immediately checked the homepage. Lu Zhou glanced at it and made a gesture. Xiao Yi was completely puzzled by the situation. Lu Zhou seemed both inexplicably upset and impatient, and he asked, "Go to the next page! Why are you so slow?!"

In his mind, Xiao Yi was thinking, ‘Why do I have to serve you even when shopping on Taobao? Does your girlfriend know you're like this?’

Xiao Yi turned the page, holding the iPad up for Luzhou to see. Concerned that Luzhou might not have a clear view, Xiao Yi moved closer. A whiff of his scent reached Luzhou, who then sneered, "Why are you invading my personal space like this?"

Xiao Yi quickly took a step back and continued flipping the page. In the recommended section, Luzhou's interest was piqued by a wooden tissue box, and he remarked, "Let's take a closer look."

Xiao Yi clicked on the picture, and Luzhou instructed, "Scroll down."

Xiao Yi began to adjust to Luzhou's pace and scrolled through various wooden and plastic tissue boxes. Luzhou then said, "Add them all to the cart."

Xiao Yi: "…"

Forty-four tissue boxes ended up in the shopping cart as per Lu Zhou's request. Lu Zhou gestured with his finger, prompting Xiao Yi to proceed with the Taobao shopping adventure. Lu Zhou's attention was caught by a miniature glass pot, and he bought over 30 of them, along with 20 boxes of biscuit dough.

Finally, when Xiao Yi was ready to review the contents of the shopping cart and let Luzhou check the items, Luzhou made an unexpected decision, stating, "Purchase everything in the cart."

Xiao Yi: "…"

Luzhou provided Xiao Yi with his Alipay (NT: payment system) information, and Xiao Yi used it to complete the transactions.

Observing that Luzhou appeared somewhat drowsy, Xiao Yi inquired, "Are you going to sleep?"

"No," Lu Zhou replied, "Check to see if that person has responded."

Xiao Yi opened Weibo and reported, "That person isn't online and hasn't replied either."

 

Lu Zhou insisted, "Insult him a few more times."

Reluctantly, Xiao Yi opened the Weibo post and thought, ‘No wonder they make you sign a confidentiality agreement; the content here is too revealing.’ After a moment's consideration, he decided to delete a few lines of what he was about to post instead.

"Let's watch a movie," Lu Zhou mentioned.

"What do you want to watch?" Xiao Yi crouched down by the wall to turn on the Blu-ray player.

Lu Zhou replied, "Anything, but something with a slow pace."

So, Xiao Yi picked a silent film. As the shadows danced on the screen, Lu Zhou leaned back on the bed to watch the movie and suggested, "I should put a monitoring device on you."

Xiao Yi remained expressionless. He thought, ‘Is he going to put a leash around my neck next? I'll just resign as soon as I get his signature.’

Seeing that Lu Zhou wasn't saying anything, Xiao Yi quietly left the room. After taking a shower and returning to his room, he noticed that Lu Zhou had already fallen asleep. He gently turned off the movie. As Lu Zhou shifted in his sleep, Xiao Yi instinctively straightened up out of reflex, preparing to be scolded. Fortunately, Lu Zhou was just snoring.

So, Xiao Yi returned to his room, turned off the lights, and went to bed. The room was unbelievably spacious. He had never lived in a luxury home before.

He jumped on the bed a few times, checked his Weibo, and saw the dry notifications from Sina (NT: chinese global Internet media company).

He left a message on his girlfriend's Weibo, apologizing and informing her that he had found a new job. Then, he set an alarm, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

 

Translator : DarNan